Late ancient fort "Kastra Martis"

Kastra Martis is a late Ancient fort whose remains are situated in the very center of the town of Kula, Vidin Region. It is located at 33 km south-west of Vidin, 56 km north-west of Belogradchik, 215 km north of the capital Sofia city and about 15 km of the national border with Serbia.

The fort is situated on the steep southern slope above the gorge of Voynishka River. The first person to have explored these places is the Hungarian archaeologist Felix Kanitz in the 70s of XIX century. During archaeological researches it was discovered that this slope used to be a small Thracian-Roman settlement from the first millennium BC before the construction of the castle.

The fortress is part of the restored Danube limes of the Roman Empire after the loss of Dacia in the late III century. The fort was most probably built by Emperor Diocletian at the border between III and IV century. It was used to defend the way from Bononia to Singidunum through Vrashka chuka - one of the western passes of the Balkan Mountains. In V century Procopius of Caesarea mentions Castra Martis as one of the main strongholds restored by the Emperor Justinian I (527-565). Castra Martis was destroyed by when the Avars invaded the empire from 586 to 587. In the XIII - XIV century the fort was partly restored and was used for the defense of the Vidin Kingdom.

architecture

Studies show that the fortress comprises two parts - a quadriburgius and a castle. Both parts were not designed and implemented simultaneously. The quadriburgius was built first - at the end of III, beginning of IV century. This type of fortifications in the border regions of the Roman Empire are associated with the emperor Diocletian. The quadriburgius is a square fort with dimensions 40 x 40 m and has large round towers in its angles. It was the seat of the fort's governor.

The castle on the other hand, has the shape of an irregular rectangle, defended by seven polygonal towers. It occupies an area of 15.5 acres. There is an inner yard with a well, covered with large square bricks in the middle of the central building of the fort. Around the yard are situated several two-storey buildings. North of the yard you will find a large premise where the command staff most probably gathered and where the battle flags and medals of the army unit camping in the fortress were stored.

The quadriburgius is better preserved and completely uncovered. The only access was from the south where you could find the gate closed by double doors. Later, probably at the end of IV century, the guard at the gates was reinforced by the construction of another closer wall. Northwest of it the foundations of a Roman bath were discovered.

The fortress's fate reflects the disintegration of slaveholding society and the destruction of the Roman Empire. It suffered destruction during the Gothic invasions at the end of IV century, but heaviest destruction it suffered of the Hun invasions in the first half of V century.

The rich material and the diversity of tools found in the excavations of the fort show that the castle's inhabitants had additional agriculture in the area. There is a museum collection of artifacts found during the excavations that reveal the material culture of the inhabitants located in a small building next to the remains.

The castle was declared an architectural monument in 1965.

transportation

Kastra Martis is easily reached since it is situated in the central part of the town of Kula. The panoramic site to the main street of the town allows visitors to enjoy the beauty of the castle. Night lighting of the castle is also provided.

accomodation

The town's visitors can take advantage of several hotels in the regional center - Vidin, as well as of one guest house in the village of Sinagivtsi /31 km in the east/.

Sources: http://bulgariaturism.blogspot.com, http://www.journey.bg, http://bulgariatravel.org, http://bg.wikipedia.org
Photos: http://ivoso.blog.bg, http://www.panoramio.com